Storyline: ASU continues to surprise. Colorado has a chance to shock the nation. USC? Watch out Stanford!
Friday, September 16th
(ESPN2) Arizona St. vs. Texas-San Antonio – 9:30- Arizona St. -19
Saturday, September 17th
(PAC-12 Network) Idaho vs. Washington St.- 2:00- Washington St. -25
(BTN) Colorado vs. Michigan – 3:30 – Colorado +20.5
(ABC) Oregon vs. Nebraska – 3:30 – Oregon +3
(PAC-12 Network) Idaho St. vs Oregon St.- 5:00 – NO LINE
(ABC) USC vs. Stanford – 8:00 – Stanford -9.5
(PAC-12 Network) Portland St. vs Washington- 8:00 – NO LINE
(ESPN2) UCLA vs. BYU – 10:15 – UCLA -3.5
(CBSSN) Utah vs. San Jose St. – 10:30 – Utah -13
(ESPN) Texas vs. California- 10:30 – Texas -8
(PAC-12 Network) Hawaii vs. Arizona- 10:45 – Arizona -24.5
Byes: None
ASU put up 68 points against TTU (photo, USAToday)
Week #2 in the PAC-12 ended up being very straightforward–win at home, lose on the road. All eight home teams won last week, while two teams on the road (Washington St. and Cal) battled hard, but came up short. Did the conference really bounce back last week or did they simply beat the teams that they were supposed to beat?
Utah played impressively in a tight, hard-fought win against in-state rival BYU, while Arizona St. made a serious statement scoring by 68 points against Texas Tech (Yes, I know Texas Tech’s defense is weak, but 68 points is still 68 points.).
However, several of the wins came from teams desperately needing to bounce back from tough losses — and against teams that Vegas saw as significantly undermanned (e.g., SC v. Utah St.). Week #3 provides a new set of challenges with tough road match-ups for UCLA, Oregon, and Colorado. Conference play also opens up this week with a huge match-up between USC and Stanford. It may only be Week 3, but the first chapter of the huge PAC-12 conference season will be written.
Conference Play Here We Come: Ready or not, here comes the PAC-12 conference season. The league decided to start the conference slate with a stand-alone game between two perennial powerhouses. Stanford comes into the game coming off a bye last week after opening up the season at home with a win v. Kansas State. 2016 didn’t start the way last year did–with an ugly loss against Northwestern. But the competition for Stanford will step up a notch this week against the Trojans. This season has been a mixed bag for the Trojans. They opened their season with an embarrassing loss against Alabama (losing is one thing, but being dominated is another). This past week the Trojans did what solid programs do: they bounced back by beating up on Utah State, 45-7, showing signs of what they’re capable of on defense. They’re going to have to play with the same effort and energy this week in Palo Alto. The winner is going to take a step in the right direction and show that the PAC-12 South has a chance of regaining the conference championship. This game is a close call and could go either way. I’m leaning Trojans, but I wouldn’t bet the mortgage on it: USC 30-28
Can CU beat UM at The Big House? (photo, events.umich.edu)
Are the Buffalo for Real?: Colorado has come out of the starting gates flying. They are not only 2-0, but a dominant 2-0 at that, including an opening week win against in-state rival, Colorado St. The Buffalo have outscored the first two opponents by 86 p0ints (100-14). Does that mean Colorado has found a way to climb out of the PAC-12 South basement?
The Buffalos still have more to prove, but they can really prove something this week. Colorado has an opportunity of a lifetime when they travel to Ann Arbor to play a Wolverine team that has been just as dominant, if not more so. If the Buffalo were ever able to pull of this gigantic upset then not only the conference, but the country, would be ‘on watch’ that Colorado football is back. But, sorry CU fans: the Buffalo aren’t ready yet. Don’t be surprised, though, if the game is close for a half. I say: Michigan 38-21.
Time to Win on the Road: The season has already reached Week 3 and the conference is running out of time to pick up key non-conference road wins against quality Power 5 conference teams. If the PAC-12 doesn’t want to be left out of the BCS this year, then it would behoove it to pick up a couple of road wins this week. Lucky for the league the schedule plays out perfectly. In addition to CU at UM, there are two other road challenges (with better chances of winning): Oregon travels to Lincoln and UCLA plays BYU at Provo.
UO has tough road date at UNL (photo, fbschedules.com)
Oregon lucked out with this game being played during the day and not at night. The Husker crowd will be loud as always, but playing in mid-day is easier than playing under the lights. Nebraska is a sleeper team, not only in the Big Ten, but nationally. They’re off to a 2-0 start and return plenty of firepower from a team that lost several single-digit games last year. Quarterback Tony Armstrong is off to a fast start and the Oregon defense is going to have to contain both his arm and legs. This game could go either way, but I give a slight edge to the home team.
UCLA travels to Provo to take on BYU. BYU has started the year playing only PAC-12 teams–Arizona, Utah, and UCLA. And the Cougars have played two extremely tight games so far, winning one, losing one. This battle of 1-1 teams is a huge swing game. For the winner it will be a feeling that the season can move in the right direction. For the loser it’s questionable where the season is going from here. I have been on the Bruins all year, so make it UCLA, 31-21.
Game of the Week, USC vs. Stanford: The GOW is straightforward this week: the conference season gets underway with the Trojans and the Cardinal tangling in a battle of potential PAC-12 South and North champions. Many people, including myself, feel this is the way Stanford takes a small step back and allows another team from the PAC-12 North to represent the league in the title game. The Cardinal isn’t going to be giving up the crown that easily, though. They’re coming off of a bye week and that gives them a chance to regroup after an opening week win. USC should be in the hunt all year to win the PAC-12 South and this game means more to the Trojans than simply winning or losing. They have the opportunity to fire the first shot in cross-conference games. The PAC-12 North has been the punching bag for several years. The only way to change the culture is to start beating the other side. If not now then when for the Trojans? I say USC, 30-28.
With national aspirations, Longhorns can’t lose to Cal (photo, texas.247sports.com)
Underrated Game of the Week, Texas vs. California: This game is flying under the radar. Texas is off to a strong start, including an opening week win against a Notre Dame team that came into the season as a Top 10 team. UT followed that up by dismantling UTEP. In years past Texas, would’ve slipped up in a game v. UTEP, sandwiched as it was between Notre Dame and Cal.
Cal traveled to San Diego last week and played extremely well in a close loss against the Aztecs. The Bears are coming along on offense faster than anyone thought. Now it is time for the defense to catch up. If they’re able to get a few more stops, then they can stay close with the Longhorns–maybe even pull off the upset. Texas may be the favorite in this one, but the Horns need to be careful … or else. I say Texas, 40-30.
Upset of the Week, Utah vs. San Jose St.: This is another week where I don’t see a huge upset taking place. But, if you aren’t thinking outside of the box, then what fun is picking upsets? Utah is 2-0 so far this year. They took care of business against two in-state foes. When you play a team from your own state the motivation is clear…bragging rights!!! Utah, now done playing their own state, has to travel to San Jose St. this week. There’s no reason at all for Utah to lose this game: the Utes have more talent than San Jose St. and the game should be in hand entering the 4th quarter. With all that being said, what motivation does Utah have against the Spartans? UU just came off of an emotional win against BYU and next week the Trojans come to town. Watch out! Hmmm… do I smell trap game? It may be worth keeping an eye on.
USC, my LOW (photo, Wikipedia.com)
Lock of the Week, USC vs. Stanford: Two weeks played and I’ve racked up two successful locks! In an effort to go 3-for-3 I have to look at the opening game of the PAC-12. USC is +9.5. I understand that the Trojans are playing on the road in a game that will end under the lights. Everyone is starting to jump on the Stanford bandwagon again, but I’m not quite ready to jump on board.
I understand that Stanford seems to be able to put it together every year regardless of who has graduated. However, if you are going to give me 9.5 points with a team that should compete for the PAC-12 South title then I’m going to take the points. I pick the Trojans and will take the points (heck, I might not even need them). I say USC, 30-28.
